St Machar's Ranfurly Church, Kilbarchan Road, Bridge Of Weir

St Machar’s Ranfurly Church, built in 1877-78 to a rectangular plan and prominently situated on a sloping site, is an early Gothic style church designed by Lewis Shanks, with later additions by Peter Woodrow (mason contractor), Alexander Hislop, and others. The church is constructed from squared and snecked yellow sandstone with bull-faced dressings, featuring stepped corner buttresses and a string course above a basement hall/crypt. Lancet and slender pointed arched windows are characteristic features.

The west elevation is a gabled three-bay design, with buttresses dividing the facade and a hoodmould with label stops over the principal openings. A pointed arch doorway, approached by steps, is centrally positioned with a chamfered and moulded surround; above the doorway is a band course and three stepped windows. An arrowslit is located in the gablehead, and a gabled stone bellcote at the apex houses three bells and a cross finial. Outer aisle bays have windows, and a basement doorway is situated to the left of the main entrance.

The east elevation is dominated by the gable of the chancel, added in 1910 by Alexander Hislop, flanked by recessed and lower projecting transepts to the north and south. Three lancet windows are present on the nave, with further windows illuminating the basement session room below. Small windows light the flanking two-stage transepts.

The north elevation presents five bays, with a projecting transept to the outer left. Paired lancet windows are present on four bays of the nave, each featuring a vesica pierced through the eaves in a gabled dormerhead. Bipartite windows illuminate the hall below each bay. The transept contains a staircase and has a stepped arrangement of a bipartite window, a fanlit door with a short flight of steps, and three narrow stair lights.

The south elevation, on higher ground, features a transept to the outer right with small, narrow windows. Three paired lancets are present on the nave with one bay blank, and a window is positioned in the basement.

The church has square lead-paned glazing and notable stained glass throughout. Stone coped skews and grey slates with small triangular roof ventilators are present. A chamfered angle is visible on the gablehead stack.

Inside, the church offers full pew seating to the aisles and nave, complemented by a timber dado. The chancel is brick-lined, with raised black and white marble flooring and an organ case designed by Hislop in 1910. There is an octagonal carved timber pulpit from 1901 and a font from 1952; a panelled front forms the communion table. A rear gallery is also present. Significant stained glass windows are attributed to J Stewart (1900), depicting the Salutation of Mary, the Birth and Life of Christ, and the Tenets of Christian Faith; J S Melville and J Stewart (1900), depicting the theme 'Suffer little Children to come unto me'; William Wilson (1946), depicting St George and a Disciple; Herbert Hendrie (1931), concerning the Water of Life; and Gordon Webster (1956), focusing on the Education of Children.

A gabled teaked lychgate, dating from 1936, stands with its gates and segmental arch, billet moulding to the gablehead, bargeboarding and a slate roof. Semicircular coped rubble boundary walls enclose the site to the north and south.